Breaking News: Trump Vows to Bring Iran Uranium ‘Back to US’ as Tehran Threatens to Close Hormuz Again
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Washington/Tehran – April 18, 2026 — Tensions between the United States and Iran remain at a fever pitch today as President Donald Trump doubled down on claims that Tehran has agreed to hand over its entire stockpile of enriched uranium to American control. In a series of fiery statements, Trump vowed to “go in with Iran” using massive excavators to retrieve what he calls “nuclear dust,” while Iranian officials in Tehran have vehemently denied any such agreement, warning that the strategic Strait of Hormuz will be closed again if the U.S. blockade continues .
The dramatic exchange marks a volatile new chapter in the ongoing conflict that has gripped the Middle East since late February, as both nations appear to offer starkly different versions of reality just days before a fragile ceasefire is set to expire.
Trump’s Vision: Excavators and a Nuclear Transfer
Speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, President Trump painted a vivid picture of the proposed operation to secure Iran’s nuclear materials. “We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators. We need the biggest excavators you can imagine,” Trump told the crowd, describing a joint U.S.-Iranian mission to recover radioactive materials .
Trump has repeatedly used the term “nuclear dust” to describe the highly enriched uranium—estimated at more than 900 pounds enriched up to 60 percent—that he claims remains buried deep underground following U.S. B-2 bomber strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities seven months ago . The president insisted that no American troops would be involved in the extraction. “No. No troops. We’ll go down and get it with them, and then we’ll take it. We’ll be getting it together,” he explained .
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In a separate interview with CBS News, Trump claimed that Iran had “agreed to everything,” including working with the U.S. to remove roughly 2,000 kilograms of enriched uranium. “Our people, together with the Iranians, are going to work together to go get it. And then we’ll take it to the United States,” Trump stated . He also confirmed that the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz would continue “until we get it done” .
Tehran’s Defiance: ‘As Sacred as Our Soil’
Despite Trump’s confident assertions, Iranian officials swiftly and publicly rejected any notion of surrendering their nuclear sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei delivered a blunt rebuttal on state television late Friday. “Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere,” Baqaei declared, drawing a clear red line in the ongoing negotiations .
The rhetoric from Tehran intensified as another official described the nuclear material as “as sacred to us as Iranian soil and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances” . Sources close to Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf called Trump’s claims “another lie,” with one posting on X that “no form of nuclear material transfer has been negotiated” .
This categorical denial highlights a fundamental impasse in the U.S.-Iran talks mediated by Pakistan. While Trump maintains that a deal is imminent and that there are “no sticking points at all,” Iranian officials insist that the fate of their nuclear infrastructure remains non-negotiable .
The Hormuz Ultimatum: A Waterway on the Edge
Compounding the diplomatic chaos is the precarious status of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital chokepoint through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. Just hours after Iran announced it had reopened the strait to commercial vessels—sparking a brief drop in global oil prices—Tehran issued a stark warning: the waterway will be shut down again if the U.S. maintains its naval blockade .
“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Ghalibaf wrote on X early Saturday. He added that passage through the waterway would depend entirely on authorization from Iran .
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that while ships would be allowed to use routes designated by the Islamic Republic, Tehran intended to retain tight control over the channel. It remains unclear whether vessels would be required to pay tolls or face other restrictions .
President Trump, however, celebrated the initial reopening on social media, posting that the strait was “fully open and ready for full passage.” Minutes later, he clarified that the U.S. Navy’s blockade would continue “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE” . Trump also claimed that Iran, “with the help of the USA, has removed or is removing all of the sea mines” from the strategic waterway .
Global Energy Markets on Edge
The mixed signals have left global energy markets in a state of whiplash. Oil prices fell sharply on Friday on hopes that the U.S. and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement, but analysts warn that the situation remains highly volatile . The International Energy Agency has described the loss of energy supplies through Hormuz as the “greatest global energy security threat in history,” warning that the current crisis could dwarf the oil shocks of the 1970s .
To mitigate the potential economic fallout, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a waiver on Friday allowing countries to continue purchasing sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels through May 16 . The move represents an attempt to control global energy prices that have skyrocketed during the nearly seven weeks of war.
Ceasefire Countdown
The diplomatic brinkmanship is unfolding against the backdrop of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which appears to be holding for now . However, Trump has hinted that he may not extend the broader U.S.-Iran ceasefire when it expires on Tuesday. “Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One .
Despite the tensions, both sides have signaled a willingness to continue talking. Trump suggested that a second round of direct negotiations could take place as soon as this weekend, possibly in Islamabad. “The Iranians want to meet. They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend,” he said .
A Battle of Narratives
As the world watches, the U.S. and Iran remain locked in a dangerous battle of narratives. Trump continues to project optimism, telling reporters on Friday that there had been “some pretty good news 20 minutes ago” regarding Iran, though he declined to elaborate . Meanwhile, Iranian officials insist that the United States must first lift sanctions and compensate for war damages before any comprehensive agreement can be reached .
For now, the Strait of Hormuz remains open but precarious, Iran’s uranium stays firmly on Iranian soil despite Trump’s claims, and the clock continues to tick toward a ceasefire deadline that could bring renewed hostilities. Whether the coming days bring a breakthrough or a breakdown remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the world’s energy security and regional stability hang in the balance.
